Jesus is the Answer
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14 Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. 15 He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.
16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”[f]20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked.
23 Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ And you will tell me, ‘Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.’”
24 “Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown. 25 I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. 26 Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. 27 And there were many in Israel with leprosy[g] in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.”
28 All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. 29 They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. 30 But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.
Introduction
Does anyone know where Davos is? No? Does anyone know what it is famous for? No?
Davos is one of Switzerland’s biggest Ski resort but last week it hosted the recent World Economic Forum (WEF), where UK Prime Minister, David Cameron gave his address to European leaders about European reform. He had the whole world watching him and he basically proclaimed that he wasn’t in a hurry to conclude a Euro deal and if there was nothing satisfactory on the table in February he is willing to walk away from the summit empty handed. He had the opportunity to convince and inspire the political world and there was nothing worth remembering”!
On a Saturday morning, in Nazareth, the town gathered in the synagogue to listen to Jesus read and teach. It was no big surprise. He was well known in the area; it was his hometown. He was raised there. They wanted to learn from him. So when he read from the Isaiah scroll,
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor”
Everyone knew these words of Isaiah. It is how that prophet from long ago defined his ministry.
When Jesus finished that reading he handed the scroll to the attendant and sat down. (Today preachers stand, then you sat in the Moses Seat to teach. So all eyes were on Jesus, waiting for his teaching. What would he say about this great prophet Isaiah? Would he emphasise the bad news? The past - Israel had sinned and would be taken into captivity by the Babylonians. Or would he emphasis the good news? The future - one day God would restore his people and bring them back from captivity. But there’s a wonderful twist (catches them off guard that Saturday morning in Nazareth). Jesus doesn’t talk about past or the new age to come. He focuses on the present. He doesn’t lift up Isaiah as the great prophet; Jesus lifts up himself. It really upsets everybody at the synagogue, so furious they wanted to drive him out of town (even kill him). He dared to say that these great words of Isaiah were really about himself. “Today,” he said, “this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
Lot of Brexit talk and big vote Tuesday and after much talk we end up with deal or no deal!
Theresa May was speaking to Parliament ‘Brexit the new age for UK’. Her deal is the real deal! But they were upset with her deal (432 MPs vote against, the biggest defeat a government has faced in almost 100 years (203)). In Luke 4 Jesus also spoke of a new deal. He rolled up the scroll of Isaiah 61, gives it to the attendant and said, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing," Jesus is saying that HE is the new deal. HE is the way, your life must be centred on him, your fulfilment, your peace, your forgiveness, your healing is secured when you are in relationship with him.
There’s something else about Jesus teaching! Luke 4 reads Isa 61 aloud in the temple “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me…” BUT he stops mid sentence! Why? The second part of that sentence in Isa 61 speaks of the “day of vengeance of our God.” It’s as if Jesus was saying, this is the time of Gods mercy. Judgement/vengeance is not yet. This is the in-between time, time to know Him, follow Him, to receive his forgiveness, mercy, healing; it’s our time to respond!
As Christians we are very good at glossing over our needs and saying ‘I’m alright’ when we do have needs, we’ve become masters of cover up. But Jesus is saying it’s the time of favour. Accept Jesus as the real deal even if you may not feel like you are in his favour; yes even here in hospital, you will find this scripture has been fulfilled (v21) he is the answer, the deal, it’s a mystery of our faith, in the depths of despair He says yes ‘I am with you always…’[Matt 28:20] Jesus’ reply to you in Luke 4v18 ‘he has come to release to the captives, recovery for blind (healing). It is the new day (in between time) of favour
During his 3 years of ministry Jesus was proclaiming that he is the way, the new age, the new testament
Proclaiming the time of God’s favour, that’s why he stopped mid-sentence when reading from Isaiah 61. Proclaiming what St Paul called one body for us to be his hands, his feet, his ears and eyes, his ambassadors here on earth. He wants us bring our needs to him; but he also wants to use us as his body while we are here on earth.
Jesus address in Luke 4 (unlike the PM’s Brexit speech) Jesus been memorable for 2000 years…
He is the answer, this scripture has been fulfilled. Let us offer ourselves afresh today, let us bring our cares to him.
He is the real deal!
